


Making Up Is Hard To Do

by enigmaticblue



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-30
Updated: 2010-03-30
Packaged: 2017-10-08 12:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The missing make-up scene between Xander and Willow, post Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered in S2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Up Is Hard To Do

Xander had never really fought with Willow before. They’d had their arguments, but never before had Willow refused to talk to him for so long. It had been days, and she was still avoiding him at school and refusing to answer his calls. Xander had thought to give her some time, hoping to avoid the groveling Buffy said was necessary.

Letting things blow over didn’t seem to be working for him, however, and it didn’t feel right, not talking to Willow. They’d been best friends since they were both in footie pajamas.

Things had been so easy back in elementary school; things had been good in junior high, too, for that matter. Xander wasn’t sure when things had changed, although he guessed it happened sometime in the last few years. Things got more complicated as they got older, and now nothing was the same.

Xander probably would have felt better if Willow had hit him as Oz had; it would have been less painful and over a lot quicker.

He clutched his grocery sack, hoping that Willow answered the door before all the ice cream melted. Ice cream was a sure way to get under her defenses. When the doorbell went unanswered, he decided to go around the back to her garden doors. Surely if she saw him, Willow would let him in.

His puppy dog eyes had never worked on anyone but Willow.

Xander’s knock brought no immediate result, and he looked down at the melting ice cream anxiously. “Come on, Willow,” he called softly, not wanting to alert her parents to his presence. “I’ve got something for you.”

The door swung open, and Willow stared at him. “What do you want?”

“I come bearing ice cream,” Xander said hopefully, holding up the bag. “It’s no good if it’s melted.”

“I’m not hungry,” Willow replied, beginning to swing the door shut in his face.

“Since when do you need to be hungry to want ice cream?” Xander protested, stopping the door with his foot. “Come on, Will.”

She stared at him, and Xander really did wish that Willow would just hit him; a punch in the gut would hurt a hell of a lot less than the betrayal in her eyes. “Why should I?” she demanded. “I made a fool out of myself because of you.”

“No bigger fool than I was,” Xander said, trying to make her feel better. From the expression on her face, he figured he’d just made it worse. “I’m sorry, Willow.”

Willow looked away from him, and he could see the wheels in her head turn. Xander was counting on their history to soften her heart. “What kind of ice cream?” she finally asked.

“Cherry Garcia,” Xander said. He hadn’t been Willow’s best friend for the last decade for nothing. He knew exactly what kind of ice cream to use.

They knew one another inside and out.

“Okay,” she finally said, opening the door a little wider to allow him entrance.

He offered her the softened pint of ice cream. “I didn’t bring a spoon.”

“I’ll get one,” she replied. “You could come to the kitchen if you wanted.”

“Are your parents home?” Xander asked, following her down the hall from her room.

She shook her head. “No. They had a conference to attend.”

Xander probably should have known that. He would have known it if he hadn’t messed things up so badly. “Will—”

“Don’t.” She sounded close to tears. “Just don’t, Xander. I just want to forget it.” Willow kept her back to him as she rummaged around in the silverware drawer. “I don’t get you!” she burst out, turning to face him finally.

“What don’t you get?” he asked, bewildered.

Willow gave him an exasperated look. “Cordelia? You turned our lives upside down because of _Cordelia_?”

Xander suddenly understood. It wasn’t just that Willow had thrown herself at him under the influence of the love spell. That would have been bad, of course, but what made it worse was that he’d done it for Cordelia. In a way, Xander supposed it was a little like elementary school all over again, where Cordelia got everything she wanted, and Willow was left with the cold comfort of knowing she was smart.

This was about Cordelia winning all over again, but Xander couldn’t do anything about it, not when his heart was already engaged. “I don’t know,” he said helplessly. “It just happened.”

Willow sighed. “She doesn’t even like us.”

“She doesn’t know us.” Slightly encouraged by Willow’s more rational tone. “She’s really not so bad once you get to know her.”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

“I really am sorry,” Xander offered, watching as Willow dug her spoon into the ice cream.

She glared at him, but there wasn’t much heat behind her gaze. “I’m still mad at you.”

“How long do you think you’ll be mad?” Xander asked. “Because I’ve really missed you.”

Willow gave him a long, hard look, and then said, “I wouldn’t count on me getting over it anytime soon.”

“But you’ve decided to talk to me again?” he asked.

Willow shrugged. “I’ll think about it. Ask me again when I’ve finished my ice cream.”

Xander watched her eat, knowing that the battle was already won, even if Willow wasn’t quite ready to admit to it yet. He had a feeling that Buffy had been right, though. He was going to be groveling for at least the next month to come.

It was worth it, though. Xander knew that their friendship was the kind of thing worth dying for.


End file.
